Thread: Cullman residents protest illegal immigration

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Cullman residents protest illegal immigration
Sunday, April 16, 2006
GREG GARRISON
News staff writer
In response to recent waves of demonstrations by Hispanic immigrants, several hundred people gathered Saturday in Cullman to protest illegal immigration.

"The taxpayers are having to support them," said Horace Ward of Cullman. Ward stood along the street in front of the Cullman County Courthouse, holding a sign that said, "Illegals cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year." Cars honked as they passed the rally.

"I think we need to shut the borders," Ward said. "For all the money we're spending in Iraq, we could build a fence."

Cullman Police Chief Kenny Culpepper and Cullman County Sheriff Tyler Roden observed the rally and estimated the crowd at 300 to 400. Demonstrators waved U.S. flags and held up signs with slogans such as, "Secure our borders," and "Remember 9/11."

"I expected a lot more people," said June Lawrimore of Falkville, who said she's concerned about the loss of jobs for U.S. citizens and the burden on taxpayers because of illegal immigrants with no insurance.

She said one of her friends was killed in an accident when he was hit by a car driven by an illegal immigrant with no insurance. Her friend's wife was pregnant. The immigrant was fined only $75, she said.

Lawrimore said she's planning a follow-up rally in Decatur.

"My husband's a construction worker and he's in competition with illegal immigrants," she said. "They don't want to pay his $20 an hour when they can pay $6."

Tracy Dennis of Hayden said she does construction site cleanup and just lost a contract to three illegal immigrants who underbid her on a job. "They break the law every day and nothing happens to them," she said. "I think they need to go home."

Cullman police thwarted a small attempt at a counter-protest.

Omar Rivera Santos, a 21-year-old Mexican who has been living in the United States about seven years, drove a pickup truck past the rally, with his common-law American wife and two teens waving Mexican flags from the bed of the truck.

Cullman police pulled him over, gave a lecture about the safety of children riding in the back of a truck with no safety restraints, and ticketed him for not having car insurance or an Alabama drivers license.

His wife, Rebecca Farr, said Rivera works for a Goldenrod chicken-processing plant as a chicken catcher. "We're trying to get him legal," she said. "Since 9/11, it's almost impossible."

She said protesters were misleading people when they say immigrants don't pay taxes. She pulled out her husband's check stub to prove income taxes and Social Security taxes had been deducted.

She noted her husband also pays sales taxes, and said he deserves respect for working hard to support her, their 4-year-old daughter, and two children she has from a previous relationship.

"It's just a matter of respecting your fellow humans," Farr said.

Hispanic rallies calling for federal efforts to legalize the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States drew 3,000 protesters in downtown Birmingham on April 9 and 5,000 in Albertville the following day, and hundreds of thousands in larger cities such as Los Angeles and Dallas.

E-mail: ggarrison@bhamnews.com

They waited for the media to pack up before they drove by (I'm sure they knew that if the media had filmed them it would just prove what we have been saying) not to mention 300 to 400 angry Americans would hve been none to pleased. Well if they are trying to get him "legal" what the hel_ are they flying mexican flags for?

I wish I had turned around and taken a picture.

She pulled out her husband's check stub to prove income taxes and Social Security taxes had been deducted.

Wonder if she happened to mention whose SS# he was using. They should have hauled his butt to jail and began the deportation process.